K
Ken Tanaka
Guest
This is a topic very near to my current neurological system, as I've recently joined the ranks of the 'Scanners". As many of you can likely agree, it can be an exasperating learning process that can turn even the best image produced by the most expensive gear into the kin of a drug store disposable.
I use a Mac with a Konica-Minolta Dimage 5400 scanner. I cannot yet claim mastery but have made quite a bit of progress in the past month and can share some brief notes.
The K-M software supplied with the scanner is adequate but has a tendency toward instability. Once it crashes it will not restart until I log-off or restart the whole o/s. The interface also suffers from that common malady of Japanese software: itsybitsyiconitis. Most of the scanner's functions are accessed by decrypting a dizzying assortment of tiny function buttons displaying icons whose meaning is so unintuitive that it borders on malicious. This is my least favorite software.
VueScan is a terrific value at 50 bucks. It can drive a truly remarkable variety of scanners and it can produce some excellent results from its default settings. But, as others have noted, its user interface is an instrument engineers' dream. Once you get the hang of it you can count on the software to do a good job. But, as there is no documentation to speak of, "getting the hang of it" can be a long journey. This is my 2nd least favorite software.
Finally there is SilverFast AI. This is not inexpensive scanner software but it delivers the value commensurate with its cost. It's user interface is just this side of the boundary of the K-M software's. (Apparently the German programmers like tweaky little buttons, too.) Quicktime tutorial links are sprinkled throughout various strategic locations of the interface. But don't get too excited. They generally lead to movie clips showing the screen of a fellow using some particular feature while mumbling to himself with a thick Germanic accent. It's not useful instructional material. Still, I've gotten the best results from Silverfast AI and it's become the software I use most often for scanning.
-Ken-
I use a Mac with a Konica-Minolta Dimage 5400 scanner. I cannot yet claim mastery but have made quite a bit of progress in the past month and can share some brief notes.
The K-M software supplied with the scanner is adequate but has a tendency toward instability. Once it crashes it will not restart until I log-off or restart the whole o/s. The interface also suffers from that common malady of Japanese software: itsybitsyiconitis. Most of the scanner's functions are accessed by decrypting a dizzying assortment of tiny function buttons displaying icons whose meaning is so unintuitive that it borders on malicious. This is my least favorite software.
VueScan is a terrific value at 50 bucks. It can drive a truly remarkable variety of scanners and it can produce some excellent results from its default settings. But, as others have noted, its user interface is an instrument engineers' dream. Once you get the hang of it you can count on the software to do a good job. But, as there is no documentation to speak of, "getting the hang of it" can be a long journey. This is my 2nd least favorite software.
Finally there is SilverFast AI. This is not inexpensive scanner software but it delivers the value commensurate with its cost. It's user interface is just this side of the boundary of the K-M software's. (Apparently the German programmers like tweaky little buttons, too.) Quicktime tutorial links are sprinkled throughout various strategic locations of the interface. But don't get too excited. They generally lead to movie clips showing the screen of a fellow using some particular feature while mumbling to himself with a thick Germanic accent. It's not useful instructional material. Still, I've gotten the best results from Silverfast AI and it's become the software I use most often for scanning.
-Ken-
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